Living with knee osteoarthritis can feel like a constant battle against wear and tear. Patients often look for treatments that do more than just mask pain, aiming instead to protect the physical structure of the joint. A large review of 1,200 patients looked at whether platelet-rich plasma (PRP) could actually change the physical makeup of the knee.
The data showed some specific improvements. Patients receiving PRP saw better patellofemoral cartilage thickness and a significant reduction in bone marrow edema, which is swelling inside the bone. However, the treatment did not show significant differences in other areas, such as medial tibial cartilage, cartilage defect progression, or the size of bone spurs.
Because the results were inconsistent across different types of tissue, experts suggest being cautious. While some specific areas showed improvement, the findings do not provide clear evidence that PRP works as a disease-modifying treatment that stops the overall progression of the condition. Talk to your doctor to see how these specific findings might fit into your personal care plan.
